This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 42 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on January 9, 2015 from 08:48:01 to 08:55:08 GMT, on a pass from the border between Iran and Turkmenistan to central India. This video begins by looking southeast toward Afghanistan, Pakistan, and the Himalayas can be seen distantly off toward the left of track. The pass continues as the ISS travels southeast toward northern and central India and looks out onto the Indian Ocean before the end of the video.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 38 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on January 30, 2014 from 13:07:04 to 13:31:39 GMT, on a pass from northeastern Malaysia to the North Pacific Ocean, just south of the Aleutian Islands. This video starts looking northeast toward Bangkok at night and continues to travel northeast toward Hong Kong, then continues toward the Korean Peninsula and Beijing area. Just before the video passes over the black of the Pacific Ocean, the Kamchatka Peninsula can be faintly seen, with few city lights and snow-covered. The video ends looking north/northeast toward the Aleutian Islands.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 34 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on January 3, 2013 from 11:43:46 to 15:49:31 GMT, on a pass from northwestern Australia, making two complete orbits to eastern Quebec, near the Gulf of St. Lawrence. This fast-paced video features the ISS completing two and a half orbits around the Earth, crossing the terminator line several times in the process. The video begins as the ISS is in darkness, and as the moon rises on the left side of the video, the ISS begins to pass over into daylight. Clouds mostly obscure the view during this first daylight pass with the exception of the Caucasus and Elburz Mountains just before the terminator. The ISS slips back into night as the moon again rises in the left side of the video. As the Station flies back into daylight, the ISS flies over Central America, the Caribbean Sea, and Cuba and Florida before flying over the northern Atlantic Ocean. Most of Western Europe is under cloud, and the first land that can be seen is the Alps Mountains and Croatia. The ISS then passes over the terminator line again into darkness as the moon rises in the left side of the video. As the ISS passes back over into daylight, clouds obscure most of the Earth until near the end of the video, when it passes over the Baja Peninsula and the southwestern United States.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 34 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on January 4, 2013 from 05:23:00 to 05:56:16 GMT, on a pass from the border of Congo and the Democratic Republic of Congo to just east of Japan. This video begins as the ISS travels northeast over central Africa just after sunrise. As the ISS flies over northeastern Africa, the Nile River can be seen in a zigzag pattern across the rust-colored desert. The ISS then crosses over the Red Sea before flying over the Arabian Peninsula and the Middle East region. The video ends as the ISS travels northeast over the snow-covered areas of western Russia and China.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 34 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken on January 4, 2013 from 12:03:33 to 12:19:53 GMT, on a pass from southwestern Russia, near the Black Sea, to the southern end of the Bay of Bengal, between Malaysia and Sri Lanka. The Caspian Sea is one of the first things seen after the clouds break during this daytime pass over the Middle East. Soon after, the Elburz Mountains are seen with snow covering the tops of the mountain peaks, followed by the Paropamisus Mountains in northern Afghanistan. The strong V-shaped mountain range is that of Sulaiman Mountains, in Pakistan. The video ends as the ISS passes over the terminator line.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken from May 23, 2012 from 07:06:33 to 07:10:21 GMT, on a pass from northern Turkey, near the Black Sea, to southwestern Iran. This video begins looking southeast over southern Turkey as the ISS passes over the southern Black Sea and Lake Van. The pass continues over Lake Van, with the Caspian Sea covered by cloud on the right side of the video and heavy dust over the left side of the video. The video ends looking over the Persian Gulf and the Zagros Mountains.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 31 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken May 14, 2012 from 21:12:29 to 21:21:35 GMT, on a pass from the South Atlantic Ocean, south of Liberia, to northern Kazakhstan. This video shows the view out of all the windows in the Cupola, and begins by looking over the Atlantic Ocean. The ISS travels east towards Africa, with the clay-colored sands of the Sahara Desert. As the ISS crosses over Africa and then over the Mediterranean Sea, the southern end of the Balkan Peninsula stands out before traveling over Eastern Europe.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken April 14, 2012 from 00:22:19 to 00:38:34 GMT, on a pass from the Celtic Sea, just south of Ireland, to eastern Ethiopia. This video begins looking ENE over Ireland and the United Kingdom, with the Aurora Borealis faintly shining to the north. Continuing southeast over the English Channel, the bright lights of Paris and other cities can be seen. The pass continues over the eastern half of the Italian Peninsula and overlooks the Balkan Peninsula under heavy cloud before traversing over the dark Mediterranean Sea. The pass ends as the ISS continues southeast over the Red Sea, where the bright lights of Jeddah stand out.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken March 27, 2012 from 22:47:49 to 22:52:31 GMT, on a pass from southeastern Libya to southern Turkey. This video begins looking northeast at the Nile River Delta in northeast Africa. As the pass continues northeast, the island of Cyprus and the cities hugging the eastern Mediterranean coast are seen. The southern end of the Black Sea, along with Turkey and Georgia, can be seen as the video ends.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken March 23, 2012 from 00:21:00 to 00:29:28 GMT, on a pass from northwest Sudan to the Caspian Sea. This video begins as the ISS is traveling northeast over northern Africa at night, approaching the Nile River Delta region, which is brightly lit, and Cairo at the far north end of the delta as a brighter light. As the ISS passes the Nile River, the video shows the area at the northwestern end of the Arabian Peninsula, where the bright cities of Beirut and Tel Aviv stand out along the darker water of the Mediterranean Sea. Continuing passed these cities, we can see Baghdad on the far right side of the video.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken March 17, 2012 from 07:35:45 to 07:52:36 GMT, on a pass from the North Atlantic Ocean, west of the Iberian Peninsula, to northern Kazakhstan. This video begins over the Atlantic Ocean, as the camera faces the Cupola and Earth. The Cupola can be seen with the top hatch open near the bottom of the video. Most of the view of Earth is obscured by clouds or snow, but some land is able to be distinguished through these obstructions.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken January 02, 2012 from 10:35:30 to 10:46:38 GMT, on a pass from the south Mediterranean Sea, just east of Tunisia, to northern Kazakhstan. This pass begins looking back from the ISS toward Algeria and Tunisia. As the ISS travels northeast toward the Mediterranean Sea, the Gulf of Tunis and the Gulf of Hammamet are seen, as well as an oblique view of Tunisia's capital city, Tunis. The pass continues over Sicily and the southern half of Italy, before continuing to the Balkan Peninsula. The pass ends over the snow-covered country of Kazakhstan.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken December 28, 2011 from 13:32:55 to 13:54:42 GMT, on a pass beginning just west of Africa, over Cape Verde, to eastern Kazakhstan. The video begins looking backtrack from the ISS toward the Atlantic Ocean, where the Cape Verde islands can be seen. As the ISS travels northeast, the western coast of Africa can be seen before traveling over the Strait of Gibraltar and toward Spain and Portugal. The snow-covered Alps Mountains can be seen as the ISS continues northeast toward Kazakhstan. The video ends with a great shot of the Terminator line, which is where the ISS passes into the Earth's nighttime hours.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken December 29, 2011 from 10:59:09 to 11:21:09 GMT, on a pass from the Gulf of Guinea, just south of Cote d'Ivoire, to northern Kazakhstan. The pass begins looking behind the International Space Station toward the Atlantic Ocean before continuing northeast over northern Africa. The dunes in the deserts of northern Africa can be carefully seen. The pass continues over the Gulf of Sidra and the Mediterranean Sea to Greece, and on toward the Black Sea and the snow-covered Pontic Mountains. The pass ends over the snow-covered Kazakhstan before the ISS crosses over the Terminator.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken December 29, 2011 from 08:04:48 to 08:20:03 GMT, on a pass from western Pakistan to far southeastern Russia, near the Sea of Okhotsk. This video begins over Pakistan and India, heading northeast over the snow-covered Himalayan Mountains. From this point, snow and cloud covers most of the land until the ISS crosses over the Terminator line.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 30 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken December 4, 2011 from 00:12:00 to 00:30:27 GMT, on a pass from just northwest of Morocco to central Kazakhstan. The two videos were shot simultaneously using different cameras: one pointing toward the northeast (Click to watch this individual video: high resolution or low resolution), and one pointing toward the east (Click to watch this individual video: high resolution or low resolution). These are played side-by-side to show a wider perspective to the covered regions. The first thing that can be seen is Spain and Portugal, with Lisbon lit up brightly in the foreground near the Atlantic Ocean and Madrid in the middle of Spain. The pass continues into France, with the English Channel in the far left and the Italian Peninsula in the far right. Further down the pass and on the left video, the Baltic Sea appears as a dark patch surrounded by light as the ISS continues to the east-northeast towards Moscow, Russia. The pass continues toward central Russia before the sunrise in the east comes up.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken October 29, 2011 from 15:24:54 to 15:52:55 GMT, on a pass from western Kazakhstan near the Caspian Sea southeast to South Australia, just north of the Great Australian Bight. The video begins just northwest of the Tibetan Plateau, where the greenish glow is from airglow. The line separating the plateau and the city lights to the right of track are the Himalaya Mountains, with cities like New Delhi, Lahore, and Islamabad standing out. Continuing down track, one can spot the brightly-lit city of Calcutta just right of track before flying over Burma and Thailand. Thailand's capital city, Bangkok, is the brightest-lit city in the video. The white lights of the city can be seen nearby the green and purple lights on the Gulf of Thailand, which are fishing boats and oil rigs. Once across the Gulf of Thailand, cities like Kuala Lumpur and Singapore stand out right of track before flying over the island of Java (long, thin island downtrack from Singapore). Near the end of the video the ISS flies southeast over Australia and lightning storms, and the Milky Way can be seen rising in the sky.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken October 19, 2011 from 19:59:21 to 20:18:56 GMT, on a pass from the North Atlantic Ocean, just west of France and the United Kingdom, to central India. The pass begins coming up on the lights of the United Kingdom and northwestern Europe. Larger cities like London, Paris, and Brussels stand out as very bright clusters of lights split by the English Channel. As the ISS continues southeast towards the Baltic Sea and Poland, the lights become more scarce, but cities like Warsaw still stand out. Just downtrack of this are more clouded regions in Ukraine and Russia, with Kyiv and Moscow lit under the clouds. The pass continues into the Middle East, where the India-Pakistan border shows with cities like Lahore, Islamabad, and New Delhi brightly-lit. The pass ends over central India looking southeast.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken October 29, 2011 from 16:56:46 to 17:28:21 GMT, on a pass beginning over central Ukraine to just south of Australia, over the Great Australian Bight. This video immediately starts by looking southeast toward the Black Sea, then continues over the Caspian Sea and to the Mideast. The India-Pakistan border stands out as the snaking orange line left of track. The bright lights nearby the borderline are those of Karachi, Pakistan's largest city and main seaport. The pass continues down the western half of India, with lightning storms shooting off in the southwestern half of the peninsula. The lights of Sri Lanka can be seen through the clouds directly downtrack of India before passing into the Indian Ocean. Finally, the pass ends just west of Australia, with the lights of Perth seen on the coastline. The Aurora Australis can be seen in the distance as the video ends.

This video was taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the International Space Station. The sequence of shots was taken October 8, 2011 from 20:53:10 to 21:24:58 GMT, on a long pass from the mid-Atlantic between South America and Africa ascending to the Balkan Peninsula, and rounding out on a descending pass southwest towards the Solomon Islands. The camera is west-looking, therefore the setting sun in the west is the first image seen throughout this sequence. The pass continues over the Sahara Desert in northern Africa, before hitting the Mediterranean Sea and the Balkan Peninsula. Finally, the ISS flies over Russia and Kazakhstan and begins the descending pass towards the southern Pacific Ocean. The faint lights from the Aurora Borealis can be seen near the end of the video.

This video over the Mediterranean Sea was taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the International Space Station. This sequence of shots was taken October 6, 2011 from 22:58:09 to 23:13:15 GMT, on an ascending pass from just west of the Strait of Gilbaltar over the Atlantic Ocean to northern Kazakhstan. The first significant landmark is the Strait of Gibraltar, separating Spain and Morocco. As the pass continues down the Mediterranean Sea, the Balearic Islands stand out nicely contrasted with the water. Next, Corsica and Sardinia stand out before the Italian Peninsula. The pass continues over the northern Balkan Peninsula, with the Black Sea standing out as a dark patch among city lights.

This video over Central Africa and the Middle East was taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the International Space Station. This sequence of shots was taken October 1, 2011 from 21:20:24 to 21:41:24 GMT, on an ascending pass from just southwest of Cote d'Ivoire in Africa to southern Russia. At the beginning of the video, thunderstorms can be seen in western Africa. The first lights that are visible is along the Nile River in Egypt near the Mediterranean Sea and through Israel and Lebanon along the coast (click here to read our article on the Nile River Delta). Further down the pass and into the Middle East, the Baku Peninsula brightly sticks out into the Caspian Sea. The pass ends over southern Russia, looking northeastward toward the Aurora Borealis.

This video over the Sahara Desert and the Middle East was taken by the crew of Expedition 29 on board the International Space Station. This sequence of shots was taken October 6, 2011 from 19:46:23 to 19:58:41 GMT, on an ascending pass from the Sahara Desert to western Kazakhstan. The rust color of the Sahara Desert is the first view in this video. Because this is an evening pass, the surface colors can be seen still, along with the bright lights of populated areas. The first view of these bright lights is along the Nile River, which can be seen just before the Red Sea. Just down track is the historic city of Jerusalem, and Lebanon's capital city, Beirut. As the ISS approaches the Caspian Sea, the Baku peninsula can be seen as a bright peninsula in the sea. The pass ends looking over Kazakhstan.

This video sequence was created using a series of still images taken onboard the International Space Station on August 21, 2011, from 14:12:10 to 14:43:48 GMT. In this video, you can clearly see as the ISS passes over central Africa through the desert and northeastward to Egypt and the Nile River Delta. The Baku peninsula in the Caspian Sea stands out under slight cloud cover, and one of the final landmarks you can see is the Aral Sea. Finally, the ISS approaches the terminator line, which is the line separating day and night on the surface of Earth.